Pitting head



July 24, 1962 L. VADAS ETAL PITTING HEAD 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 1'7, 1958 @JPII-E INVENTORS LESLIE VADAS PAUL C. WILBUR BY W T'I[3 E ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofifice 3,045,731 Patented July 24, 1962 3,045,731 FITTING HEAD Leslie Vadas, Los Gates, and Paul C. Wilbur, San Jose, Calitl, assignors to FMC Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 17, 1958, Ser. No. 715,620 10 Claims. (Cl. 146-28) This invention relates to fruit preparation machines and more particularly relates to a machine for pitting peaches.

The machine of the present invention makes use of a pitting head whcih is an improvement of the head which is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 2,581,785 to De Back et al. and is adapted to remove pit segments from halves of a peach that has been sawed in half in a previous operation. In the De Back pitting head the position of the axis of rotation of a cutting knife is established by the engagement of a pit finder with the inside of the pit half. After the axis of rotation is determined, the cutter is moved through its fixed are about this relatively fixed axis to cut the pit half out of the peach half. Since peach pits vary in size, and since the peach pit may not be divided in equal sections when the peach is cut into halves, the De Back knife must be set so that it will clear the largest pit half that may be presented to it. Accordingly, when small pit halves are encountered, an excess amount of flesh is cut away with the pit half. In the present invention, this disadvantage is overcome by providing a mechanism that positively shifts the axis of an oscillating knife inwardly of the pitting head so that the knife is positively moved into engagement with the pit half during the pitting operation whereby the knife performs its cutting operation close to the pit surface regardless of the size of the pit half.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved machine for pitting drupes, such as peaches.

Another object is to provide an improved pitting head for a pitting machine.

Another object is to provide an improved actuating mechanism for the knives of a pitting head.

\Another object is to provide a novel method of pitting peaches.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan of the pitting head of the present invention shown mounted on a portion of a pitting machine.

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken on lines 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of the head with the outer side plate broken away and only its end portion shown in section.

FIG. 4 is a horizontal section taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3 with the auxiliary support plate broken away.

FIG. 5 is a horizontal section taken on line 55 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of the operation of the pitting mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary plan of the portion of the pitting machine in which the pitting head is mounted, said plan particularly showing the auxiliary control mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of the part of the machine shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a vertical section taken on line 9--9 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary bottom plan taken looking in the direction of arrows 1010 of FIG. 9 and particularly showing the configuration of the cam slots.

The improved pitting head 20 (FIGS. 1 and 2) of the present invention is particularly adapted for use with the pitting machine disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,376,- 526 to Albert R. Thompson, the construction and arrangement being such that the present pitting head 20 may be substituted for the head which was disclosed in said patented machine, without substantially altering the other parts of the machine.

In general, the head 20 is mounted on a cradle 22 which is secured to a shaft 23 that is pivotally mounted in the machine. During operation, the cradle and the head are pivoted forwardly in the direction of arrow A (FIG. 2) during the pitting of a peach half, and are then swung rearwardly to this initial rear position to receive the next peach half to be pitted. The head 20 is oscillated by means of a cam 25 having a cam track 26 adapted to receive a roller 27 rotatably mounted on an upper rear portion 30 of the cradle. The cam 25 is keyed to a shaft 32 which is rotated in timed relation with the other members of the machine, so that the head 20 is oscillated in timed relation with feed cups 35 (FIG. 1), which are driven by the machine and are arranged to move the peach halves P upwardly and forwardly along guide plates 36, and slide the halves onto opposite sides of the pitting head while the head is in its rearward position.

The head 20 includes a body portion (FIG. 1) having a central longitudinal partition 41, and an upper rear car 42 which is secured between a pair of spaced bosses 43 on the cradle 22 by a bolt 44. At its lower edge, the body portion 40 has two bosses 45 and 46 (FIG. 2) which carry positioning pins 5t adapted to fit in sockets 51 formed in the cradle. It will thus be seen that the pitting head is removably connected by a three point support to the cradle 22.

At its forward end, the body portion of the head is provided with an arcuate track 55 which has its center of curvature coincident with the center of shaft 23. The track 55 is engaged on its opposite sides by rollers 56 supported 'by an overhead support bracket 57, which is mounted in fixed position between side plates 58 and 59 (FIG. 1) of the machine.

The body portion 40 (FIG. 3) of the head carries a laterally directed cross member 62 at its rearward end.

Spaced forwardly from the cross member 62, the body portion is provided with a pair of laterally disposed journals 64 (FIG. 5) having vertical bores. The mechanism mounted on one side of the central partition 41 is identical to the mechanism on the other side of the partition but oppositely disposed. On each side of the head, a fruit support plate is secured to the body portion 40, extending between a front wall portion 61 of the body and the rear cross member 62. A generally H-shaped knife support lever or carrier 74 (FIG. 5) has two vertically spaced bosses 75 and 76 (FIG. 3) journalled for rotation on a shaft 78 that is supported for rotation in the vertical journal 64 of the body portion. Each lever 74 extends rearwardly in the head (FIG. 4) between the central partition 41 and the corresponding fruit support plate 70, and near its rearward end the lever 74 rotatably journals a pitting knife shaft 80 which has a vertical axis. A U-shaped cutter in the form of an open loop knife (FIG. 5) is secured by its legs to the shaft 80 so that oscillation of the shaft 80 about its axis causes oscillation of the knife. The fruit support plate 70 is provided with an opening 86 (FIG. 4) of sufficient size to permit the knife to swing therethrough.

A pit finder shaft 90 (FIG. 5) is secured by a setscrew 90a in the knife support lever 74 in parallel relation to the shafts 78 and 80. The pit finder shaft 90 supports a pit finder lever 91 (FIG. 4) for oscillating movement, said lever including a hub 92 rotatable on shaft 90 and a rear arm 93 that projects rearwardly and laterally outwardly of the head in such a manner as to pass alongside and project beyond the pitting knife shaft 80 so that it may be moved outwardly through the opening 86 in the plate 70. The arm 93 has a pointed outer end portion 94. The pit finder lever 91 also includes a forward arm 95, which is offset upwardly (FIG. 3) to clear the journal 64 and extends forwardly between the partition 41 (FIG. 4) and the journal end of the knife support lever 74. The end portion of the arm 95 is disposed in spaced relation to a lug 96 formed on the lever 74. A spring 98, disposed between the arm 95 and the lug 96, is arranged to urge them apart. An adjustment bolt 99 is anchored in the arm 95 and passes freely through an opening in lug 96, and is arranged to limit the movement of the arm 95 and the lug 96 away from each other. By means of this arrangement the spacing between the path of movement of the pitting knife 85 and the pit finder point 94 may be adjusted so that there will be a predetermined distance between the pit finder point and the knife as it moves along its arcuate path during the pitting operation.

The forward edge of the opening 86 in the support plate 70 is cut away to form a recess 105 (FIG. 2) adapted to receive a ramp plate 106 which is rigidly connected to or formed integrally on the knife support lever 74 in such a manner that, when the lever 74 is in its retracted position (FIG. 4) relatively close to the partition =41, the ramp 106 is offset inwardly from the surface of the fruit support plate 70. When the lever 74 is moved outwardly away from the partition 41, the ramp 106 moves to a position approximately flush with the normal surface of the fruit support plate.

Each pitting knife shaft 80 projects upwardly from the head and is provided with a gear 120 (FIG. 1) which is keyed to shaft 80 and meshes with an idler gear 121 that is rotatably journalled on a short shaft 122 (FIG. 3) that is secured in the lever 74. Each idler gear 121 meshes with a drive gear 123 rotatably supported on shaft 78, and the two drive gears 123 mesh with each other so that the two pitting knives are arranged to be operated simultaneously. One of the drive gears 123 is provided with a drive lever 126, which is connected by a suitable linkage 128 to a pivot post 130 mounted on the overhead support bracket 57. The several gears are so arranged that when the pitting head is moved forwardly in unison with the peach feeding mechanism and a peach half overlies each fruit support plate 70, the shafts 80 are rotated and the pitting knives 85 are caused to swing, from the position shown in FIG. 3, outwardly through openings 86 to make arcuate cuts around the pit halves in the peach halves.

It will be observed that each pitting knife must be initially retracted to a position within the head during movement of a peach half into position on the associated support plate 70 and again retracted during removal of the pitted peach half. The mechanism for controlling the lateral movement of the pit finders and the pitting knives comprises a bridge 150 (FIG. 7) which is pivotally mounted by bolts 151 between the side plates 58 and 59 of the machine. The bridge is substantially U-shaped in plan with pivot journals 152 at its extremities which coact with the side plates so that the bridge may be swung upwardly and away from the pitting head when it is desired to service the head. The bridge extends directly over the head and is retained in closely spaced relation thereto by means of latch pins 160 each of which is controlled by a hand operated lever 162.

Two pitting knife control cams 165 (FIGS. 9 and are supported from the under surface of the bridge 150. Each cam is in the form of a substantially triangular plate (FIGS. 7 and 10) pivotally supported at its rearward apex by a pivot pin 167. Retainer plates 169,

and 171 (FIGS. 9 and 10) retain the control cam against the underside of the bridge but permit oscillating movement of the cams. The underside of each control cam (FIG. 10) is provided with a cam slot 175' which extends generally in a longitudinal direction relative to the pitting head. Each slot overlies one of the pitting knife shafts 80 and is adapted to receive a cam follower roller 176 (FIG. 1) which is rotatably mounted on the upper end of each of the knife shafts.

Each cam slot 175 (FIG. 10) includes a laterally outwardly sloping initial portion 1750 which curves into a forwardly directed portion 17512, and this portion in turn curves into a laterally inwardly directed portion 175a. It will be evident from FIG. 7 that, as the pitting head moves forwardly under the stationary cams 165, the pitting knife shafts, which journal the cam rollers 176, are first moved outwardly, as the rollers 176 move along portion 175a of the cam slot 175, to bring the pit finders into contact with the pit. Since this action shifts the knife carrier lever 74, the knife is also shifted laterally outwardly. Then, while each roller moves along the straight portion 175b of the associated cam, the knife shaft is not moved laterally but is retained in a relatively fixed position during the pitting operation. As each follower 176 rides into portion 175:: of the cam slot, the knife shaft is moved inwardly to a retracted position in the head.

Although each control cam is mounted for oscillating movement about a pivot pin 167, it is held in substantially fixed position on the bridge during normal pitting operation by means of two springs and 186 (FIG. 9) which are disposed on an adjustment bolt 190 that has one end threaded in a boss 191 of the bridge and passes freely through a relatively large opening in a lug 192 integrally formed on the top surface of the cam plate. The spring 185 is disposed between a nut 194 on the bolt 190 and the lug 192 while the spring '186 is disposed between a head 197 formed on the bolt 190 and the lug 192. It will be apparent that, by adjusting the nut 194 011 the bolt, a desired initial position of the oscillatable cam plate can be obtained. Further, the force required to compress the springs will determine the amount of force necessary to cause the cam plate to be swung in either direction about its pivot pin 167. It will be evident that if a pit finder point 94 contacts a pit before the roller follower 176 reaches the straight portion 1751: of the cam plate, the cam plate will be forced to pivot inwardly of the head, about pin 167, against the resistance of the springs to permit the follower 176 to move into the straight portion 17512 of the cam slot.

A feature of the present invention is the provision of an auxiliary fruit support plate 210 (FIG. 5) which resiliently supports the peach half from the pit side of the peach half. This auxiliary fruit support plate comprises a cage-like member 211 (FIG. 3) consisting of a forward plate 212 integrally formed on two inwardly projecting spaced arms 213 and 2 14. Each of the arms 213 and 214 is welded to a rearwardly extending yoked lever 215 that has a hub 216 rotatably supported on shaft 90. The forward plate 212 has a recess 218 (FIG. 3) adapted to permit passage therethrough of the pit finder, and the arms 213 and 214 are slotted (FIG. 5) to receive the knife shaft 80.

The auxiliary support plate 210 is urged outwardly of the head by a spring 225 which is disposed between a tab 226 formed on the lever 215 and an abutment plate 227 secured to partition 41. The abutment plate 227 also acts as a stop which the lever contacts when it is moved inwardly of the head. The outermost position of the auxiliary fruit support plate is determined by the engagement of the tab 226 on the lever 215 with an adjustable stop 228 which may be adjustably secured to the body member 62 by a capscrew 229.

At a predetermined time after the knife has started to cut around the pit half, the knife shaft 80 is shifted radial- 1y inwardly of the head by an auxiliary knife control mechanism in order to positively bring the knife into engagement with the pit surface. This movement is effected by means of a cam-controlled linkage 235 (FIGS. 7 and 8) comprising a lever 236 pivotally mounted at 237 on a bracket 238 which is secured to and projects forwardly from the bridge 150. The lever 236 has a pin 240 at one end which is connected to two tension springs 242 and 243, each of which is anchored on an upstanding ear 245 of an arm 246 (FIG. 9) that is formed integral with the lug 192 on one of the control cams 165. The other end of the lever 236 is pivotally connected to a link 250' (FIG. 7) which in turn is pivotally connected at 251 to a lever 252 (FIG. 8) which carries a cam follower roller 253. The lever 252 is pivoted at its, lower end on the side plate 58 of the machine hy a pin 255. At its upper end, the lever 252 pivotally supports a yoke 258 which engages one hooked end of a spring 260 which is connected at its other end to an adjustment member 261. The member 261 has a threaded shank projecting through an opening in a stationary flange plate 264. The tension of the spring may be varied by means of a hand wheel 265 threaded on the shank of the member 261 and bearing against the plate 264. The cam follower 253 rides on the peripheral camming surface of a cam 270 that is keyed to shaft 32 on which cam 25 (FIG. 1) is also keyed.

, It will be seen in FIG. 8 that, when the cam follower 253 rides into the recessed portion 270a of the cam 270, the spring 260 swings lever 252 clockwise about pin 255, causing lever 236 to be pivoted counterclockwise (FIG. 7) to move the pin 240 in a direction away from the bridge 150. This movement of the lever exerts a pull on springs 242 and 243, and this pull tends to swing the control cams 165 inwardly of the head about their pivot pins 167. Since the cam rollers 176 on the upper ends of the knife shafts 80 are, at this time disposed in the relatively straight portions 175]; of the slots in the control cams, the knife shafts 80 will also be swung inwardly, and the knives will be positively moved into engagement with the surface of the pit half.

It is to be particularly noted that during the pitting operation, each pit half is supported on one of the springloaded auxiliary support plates 210. Accordingly, each knife is spring-urged against one side of the pit while the auxiliary support plate 210 is spring-urged against the other side of the pit. This balance spring arrangement makes it possible for the knife to follow closely along the surface of the pit.

It will also be evident that, since each control cam 165 is pulled inwardly by the lever 236 through a separate spring, each knife can accommodate itself to the associated pit surface, independently of the movement of the other. Therefore, even if the pit halves are not of equal size, each knife will be able to contact the surface of the associated pit half.

It will be noted that the fruit positioning cup 35 exerts a pressure on the associated peach half tending to bulge the central portion of the peach half inwardly of the head. The spring-urged support plate 210 will resist inward movement of the peach half and, when the pitting movement of the cutter is completed and the inward pressure of the cup 35 is relaxed, the plate 210 will move any bulged portion out of the aperture in the support plate so that there will be no contact of the bulged portion with the edge of the support plate when the cup slides the peach half off the plate at the end of the forward movement of the pitting head.

Another feature of the present invention is the special design of the cam track 26 in cam 25 whereby the pitting head is so timed with the movement of the feed cups 35 that the knife is moved into the peach half at a point spaced approximately A3" rearwardly of the rear end of the pit half as seen in FIG. 6. The head is then accelerated to bring the knife into contact with the rear edge of the pit half. The auidliary cam 270 comes into operation when the knife has moved along its arcuate path to a point indicated by the radial line X. The knife shaft is then urged inwardly of the head to shift the axis of rotation of the knife and resiliently urge the knife against the surface of the pit half. When the knife reaches the point indicated by radial line Y, the auxiliary cam 270 pivots the associated linkage in a direction to release the knife shaft 80 and permit the knife to move along a path slightly spaced from the fragile end of the pit half.

It is to be noted in FIG. 6 that without the special design of the cam slot 26 and the action of the auxiliary earn 270, the knife would follow the path W indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 6, with a corresponding waste of peach flesh.

Accordingly the present invention provides a novel method of pitting peach halves which includes the steps of moving the knife into the peach half at a predetermined distance rearwardly of the rear end of the pit half, bodily shifting the knife forwardly relative to the peach half to bring the knife against the rear end of the pit half, and then shifting the axis of rotation of the knife away from the peach half to cause the knife to closely follow the pit surface for a predetermined distance. The particular design of the cams 25 and 270 and the novel linkage associated with cam 270 makes possible this eflicient, economical pitting of peach halves.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the invention.

Having thus. described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a pitting head, an apertured fruit support plate having a support surface, means for positioning on one side of said plate a fruit half to be pitted with the pit side abutting said support surface and with the pit half alongside the aperture, a shaft disposed substantially parallel to said support surface on the other side of said plate, a knife mounted on said shaft for angular movement about the axis of said shaft, said knife having an outer cutting edge spaced from said axis, carrier means for moving said shaft toward said plate to project said knife through the aperture of said plate into contact with the flesh of the pea-ch half adjacent to but spaced slightly from the end of the pit half, means for moving said knife angularly about the axis of said shaft to move the cutting edge of the knife in an arcuate path around the pit half to sever the flesh of the fruit from the pit surface, and means operable on said carrier means for shifting said shaft relative to said support plate during a predetermined range of angular movement of said knife in a direction to move said knife into contact with the pit surface during said predetermined range of movement.

2. In a pitting machine, a support structure, an apertured fruit support plate mounted for movement relative to said support structure and having a support surface, means for positioning on one side of said plate a fruit half to be pitted with the pit side abutting said support surface and with the pit half alongside the aperture, a shaft disposed adjacent the other side of said support plate, a knife mounted on said shaft for angular movement about the axis of said shaft, said knife having an outer cutting edge spaced from said axis, carrier means for moving said shaft toward said plate to project said knife through the aperture in said plate and into contact with the fruit half adjacent the pit half, drive means for moving said plate relative to said structure, means responsive to movement of said plate relative to said structure for moving said knife angularly about said axis to move the cutting edge of the knife in an arcuate path around the pit to sever the flesh of the fruit from the pit surface, a cam mounted for pivotal movement on said support structure and operably engaged with said carrier for moving said shaft toward and away from said support plate in response to movement of said plate relative to said support structure, an actuating mechanism mounted on said support structure and operably connected to said cam to pivot said cam, and means for activating said mechanism in timed relation with the movement of said knife moving means whereby to urge said carrier to move in a direction away from said fruit support plate and carry the cutting edge of said knife into contact with the surface of the pit during a predetermined range of angular movement of said knife.

3. In a pitting machine, a support structure, an apertured fruit support plate mounted for movement relative to said support structure and having a support surface, means for positioning on one side of said plate a fruit half to be pitted with the pit side abutting said support surface and with the pit half alongside the aperture, a shaft disposed adjacent the other side of said support plate, a knife mounted on said shaft for angular movement about the axis of said shaft, said knife having an outer cutting edge spaced from said axis, carrier means for moving said shaft toward said plate to project said knife through the aperture in said plate and into contact with the fruit half adjacent the pit half, drive means for moving said plate relative to said structure, means responsive to movement of said plate relative to said structure for moving said knife angularly about said axis to move the cutting edge of the knife in an arcuate path around the pit to sever the flesh of the fruit from the pit surface, a cam mounted for pivotal movement on said support structure and operably engaged with said carrier for moving said shaft toward and away from said support plate in response to movement of said plate relative to said support structure, a lever pivotally mounted on said support structure, spring means connecting said lever to said cam, and a second cam operated in timed relation to said drive means and operably connected to said lever to pivot said lever and move said knife shaft away from said support plate at a predetermined time during the movement of said plate relative to said support structure.

4. In a pitting machine, a support structure, an apertured fruit support plate mounted for movement relative to said support structure and having a support surface, means for positioning on one side of said plate a fruit half to be pitted with the pit side abutting said support surface and with the pit half alongside the aperture, a shaft disposed adjacent the other side of said support plate, a knife mounted on said shaft for angular movement about the axis of said shaft, said knife having an outer cutting edge spaced from said axis, carrier means for moving said shaft toward said plate to project said knife through the aperture in said plate and into contact with the fruit half adjacent the pit half, drive means for moving said plate relative to said structure, means responsive to movement of said plate relative to said structure for moving said knife angularly about said axis to move the cutting edge of the knife in an arcuate path around the pit to sever the flesh of the fruit from the pit surface, a cam mounted for pivotal movement on said support structure, a cam follower mounted on said knife shaft and operatively engaged with said cam to shift said shaft toward said plate as said drive means moves said plate relative to said structure, resilient means arranged to resist pivotal movement of said cam during the shifting movement of said knife shaft, and an actuating linkage operatively connected to said cam and arranged when activated to override the resistance of said resilient means and shift said knife shaft in a direction to move said knife away from the aperture in said plate.

5. In a pitting machine, a support structure, a pitting head mounted for movement relative to said structure, drive means for moving said head relative to said structure, said head comprising a pair of spaced apertured support plates, a pair of cutters disposed in said head, a carrier for each cutter arranged to move the cutter outwardly of said head through the aperture of one of said plates, means mounting each cutter for pivotal movement through a predetermined range of arcuate movement, resilient actuating means operatively connected to each cutter carrier and arranged when activated to pull the carrier inwardly of said head to shift the associated cutter inwardly and cam means operable in timed relation with said head-moving drive means and operatively connected to said resilient actuating means to activate said actuating means and resiliently pull said carriers individually inwardly of said head at a predetermined time during the movement of said head relative to said structure.

6. In a pitting head, an apertured fruit support plate having on one side a fruit support surface adapted to support a fruit half with the pit half adjacent the aperture in the plate, a pit support member disposed in said aper ture and having a pit support surface substantially flush with said fruit support surface, a cutter mounted on the opposite side of said support plate from said fruit support surface for movement in an arcuate path through said aperture outward of said fruit support surface and into contact with a fruit half held against said support plate to cut around the pit half, means for moving said cutter bodily in a direction toward said support plate during arcuate movement of said cutter to bring said cutter into contact with the surface of the pit half being cut around, and spring means urging said pit support member in a direction to resiliently resist the pressure applied to the pit by said cutter during said arcuate cutting movement.

7, In a pitting head, an apertured fruit support plate having on one side a fruit support surface adapted to support a fruit half with the pit half adjacent the aperture in the plate, a spring-urged pit support member disposed in said aperture and having a pit support surface substantially flush with said fruit support surface, a cutter mounted on the opposite side of said support plate from said fruit support surface for movement away from said support plate and for movement in an arcuate path through said aperture and into contact with a fruit half held against said support plate to cut around the pit half, resilient actuating means operatively connected to said cutter and arranged when activated to shift said cutter toward said support plate while it is projecting through the aperture in the plate, and means operable in timed relation with the arcuate movement of said cutter to activate said actuating means during a predetermined portion of said arcuate movement.

8. In a pitting machine, a support structure, an apertured fruit support plate mounted for oscillating movement on said structure, a drive shaft journalled in said structure, a first cam keyed to said shaft and operatively connected to said plate to oscillate said plate, a knife carrier mounted for oscillating movement with said plate as well as being mounted for pivotal movement in a direction generally perpendicular to said plate, a cutter pivotally mounted on said carrier and arranged to project through the aperture in said plate during its pivotal motion, an actuating linkage connected to said carrier and arranged to pivot said carrier in a direction generally perpendicular to said plate, and a second cam keyed to said drive shaft and connected to said linkage for pivoting said carrier for moving said cutter toward said plate while the cutter is pivotally moving and disposed outward of said plate.

9. A pitting head comprising a frame having an apertured main plate providing a fruit half supporting surface, a pitting cutter, means mounting said cutter in said frame for rotary movement to cause said cutter to move through the aperture in said plate and outward of said fruit supporting surface in an arcuate path, means for rotating said cutter into the fruit half and around the pit to sever the flesh from the surface of the pit, said cutter mounting means also mounting said cutter in the frame so that the cutter can be shifted relative to the frame and the fruit supporting plate, means for shifting said cutter relative to said frame and plate in a direction to move said cutter While it is disposed outward of the plate toward the fruit supporting surface of the plate and into contact with the pit half surface While said cutter moving means is causing rotary movement of said cutter, an auxiliary pit supporting plate disposed at the aperture in said plate, and means for mounting said auxiliary pit supporting plate on said cutter mounting means for resiliently opposed motion in a direction inwardly of said main plate.

10. A pitting head comprising a body having an apertured plate providing an outer fruit half supporting surface, a carrier, means mounting said carrier on said body for accommodating lateral shifting of the carrier relative to said plate, a loop like pitting cutter, a shaft for rotatably mounting said cutter on said carrier, means for rotating said cutter to cause the cutter to move in an arcuate path through the aperture in said plate, main cutter control means for shifting said ca1rier in a direction to move said cutter shaft toward said fruit supporting plate during an initial rotation period of the cutter, and auxiliary 10 cutter control means for thereafter shifting both said main cutter control means and said carrier in a direction to move said cutter shaft away from said plate to bring said cutter into contact with the pit half surface while rotation of the cutter continues, said auxiliary cutter control means including a relief spring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,794,479 Smith Mar. 3, 1931 2,329,212 Nawman Sept, 14, 1943 2,581,785 De Back et al. Jan. 8, 1952 2,705,037 Fox et al Mar. 29, 1955 2,751,948 Facchini Jun 26, 1956 2,775,278 Anderson Dec. 25, 1956 2,818,098 Perrelli Dec. 31, 1957 2,918,098 Keesling Dec. 22, 1959 2,943,659 Anderson July 5, 1960 2,946,361 Skog et al, July 26, 1960 2,962,068 Keesling Nov. 29, 1960 

